Xu Ran was awakened by the pain. He was curled up at the end of the bed, covered with a thin sheet, and his right leg was bent outward unnaturally.
He Cheng had finished washing, and was sitting on the edge of the bed fiddling with his knees. A pair of big hands did not control the strength at all, Xu Ran shivered in pain when he pressed it.
"Are you awake?" He Cheng glanced at him, "Your legs are alright?"
This obviously didn't look good, Xu Ran didn't know why He Cheng asked such a question suddenly, he just shook his head numbly, "No."
"It's not good after so many years." He Chengyi frowned, "Go for surgery."
"what?"
Xu Ran felt that he might have heard wrong. That He Cheng who takes pleasure in torturing his leg will urge him to go for treatment? This is the first time in ten years.
Xu Ran blankly looked at the electronic watch beside the bed. Just a few hours ago, He Cheng tied him to the bed without any explanation, and no matter how painful he was, it was just for fun. Now facing this sudden concern, he couldn't feel happy at all, but felt terrified instead.
He Cheng gave a "tsk", "You don't think it's embarrassing to walk with a limp every day."
Xu Ran was stunned, "...do you think it's embarrassing to walk with me?"
He Cheng didn't speak, but he could tell the answer from his expression.
By the way, Xu Ran suddenly wanted to laugh, it was the last time he went to eat, and when the two of them left together, they were stared at, and He Cheng couldn't bear it.
Indeed, there is no reason for a young and promising business elite like He Cheng to walk with a cripple like him. He Cheng should be surrounded by beautiful and generous women, at least in the eyes of the public, it should be like this.
Even if it is a male, it should be like Qiao An, or Bai Jinming, the brother who grew up together since childhood, but it cannot be him. Xu Ran seemed out of place compared to the atmosphere around He Cheng.
Xu Ran lowered his head, stared at the lavender sheets under his body, and said softly, "Then next time, let's go separately."
If there is a next time.
He Cheng obviously didn't expect him to say that, he froze for a moment, and immediately frowned, "What do you mean?"
"No, I mean, if it bothers you."
Xu Ran scratched at his sleep-disturbed hair, and suddenly smiled, "I don't know what I'm talking about either."
He Cheng looked at him like he was looking at a psychopath.
"Do you have work today?" Xu Ran dragged his legs out of bed and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
"No." He Cheng said.
Xu Ran nodded.
Ten years have passed, and the conversation between him and He Cheng has become less and less. On the one hand, there is an uncontrollable tacit understanding, and on the other hand, they don't know what to say at all.
Xu Ran didn't know what those ordinary couples would say and do besides going to bed when they stayed at home on weekends. Maybe it's cleaning up together, or staying in bed to play games, ordering a takeaway at meal time, and then nestling on the sofa and watching a movie together.
They hardly ever do what normal people do when they are in a relationship. Xu Ran likes kissing very much, the kind of kiss that hugs tightly and lingers until suffocation, but after getting out of bed, He Cheng never kissed him.
Are they dating
Every once in a while, Xu Ran has to confirm with himself, for fear that he will forget, or at some point, He Cheng dumped him, and he has no memory of it.
Ten years of love, no matter how long it takes, the relationship will fade. Xu Ran knew that the reason they were able to last so long was entirely because of his obedience and He Cheng's laziness in changing lovers. Also, the relationship between them is not a "feeling" at all.
He Cheng wanted to drink beef brisket soup, so Xu Ran went to the shopping mall opposite the neighborhood to buy fresh meat and tomatoes. Making soup is the only way He Cheng can accept tomatoes. There were a lot of social gatherings outside, so Xu Ran would think of many ways to cook some more nutritious meals to recuperate He Cheng's stomach.
When he came back, He Cheng was on the phone in the living room.
"Congratulations, when will the banquet be held?"
What was said there, He Cheng suddenly covered the phone, and said to Xu Ran in the kitchen, "Go and see the itinerary of No. 8."
Xu Ran nodded and entered the bedroom.
A friend teased maliciously on the phone, "Okay, this big weekend, 'work' at home with the secretary?"
"Come on." He Cheng scolded with a smile, "put away your dirty thoughts."
"Who is that?"
He Cheng snorted, "Why do you care so much?"
Xu Ran came out of the bedroom and waved to him, indicating that there was no important work for the time being.
"Well, I can't escape, and I have to pay for it." He Cheng joked with others in a rare good mood, "I will be a godfather when the child is born, otherwise it won't be worth it."
"Okay, so I can still collect lucky money during the Chinese New Year in the future, and I won't lose money."
"Damn, human spirit."
After he hung up the phone and put away the phone, Xu Ran asked, "Friend?"
He Chenglian lost his smile, and said lightly, "Yes."
Like every time in the past, Xu Ran didn't continue to ask, but turned and went into the kitchen.
On the other hand, He Cheng was uncharacteristically, and seemed to know that his attitude had changed too obviously just now, and he couldn't save face, so he came to the kitchen door and continued, "Wang Li's girlfriend is pregnant and is going to get married, Wang Li, remember, the one who was in your class in high school. "
In high school, He Cheng was a man of the hour and had a wide range of friends. Xu Ran tried very hard to find that name from his memory. In his impression, he seemed to be a second-generation official with average academic performance, good-looking, and not as flattering to He Cheng as others. His family seems to have a lot of status.
For people like He Chengqiao An Wang Li, the school when they were children is the circle of friends in the future commercial battlefield, and their worth determines everything. The rules of the game were set long before adulthood, and everyone still tacitly abides by them until now. .
Xu Ran didn't understand these things at first, but after following He Cheng for so many years, he had to understand.
He washed the beef brisket twice and put it in the pot to blanch. "Remember, he never handed in his homework. The teacher asked the parents once, and then his homework was exempted."
He Cheng leaned against the glass door, looked at his thin shoulders and slender neck, suddenly felt a tickle in his throat, coughed lightly, "Yes, that's the kid."
"Very good." Xu Ran smiled and turned off the fire, "I have children."
In another year or two, they will all be thirty years old. For the older generation, having a child at this age is too late. When the child is born, they will probably be pampered. Xu Ran had some admiration for Wang Li's girlfriend, she had to be strong to marry into such a family.
In this circle, weddings and funerals have become transactions, Xu Ran would occasionally be thankful that he is a man, and that He Chengtian was born crooked.
"You like children?"
This was a topic they had never talked about before. Xu Ran washed his hands and said in a low voice, "I don't like it."
In fact, he likes it, because it is impossible for him to have children in this life, and he will feel happy when he sees children who are carefully cared for by their parents outside. But he didn't dare to say it, for fear that if he did, He Cheng would use the excuse of a child to set him free.
He Cheng hummed, showing a lack of interest.
Xu Ran stopped talking. It's too much to say, it's been a long time since he felt this cautious feeling, there is a little person in his heart who keeps beating drums, as if he is afraid that he will miss something when he is free.
Wash the three large tomatoes, cut them into small pieces, and pour them into the pot with the prepared accessories and stir fry. Faint oily smoke rose instantly with the sound of the food being put into the pot, and He Cheng moved behind him, as if to hide for a while.
He had never smelled the smell in the kitchen, so Xu Ran raised his hand to turn on the range hood, and there was a loud buzzing sound, which added a little life to the awkwardly quiet environment. He Cheng just stood back, but did not leave.
Xu Ran suddenly felt that the gaze on his back was inexplicably hot. If it hadn't been for the lingering in the early morning, he might have misunderstood the meaning of this gaze. It was probably just a whim, and he left after only looking at He Cheng for a while. After all, he still couldn't bear the smell of oily smoke here.
Hearing him leave, Xu Ran heaved a sigh of relief for no reason, took the water, put the pot on it, and set the alarm clock for two hours.
What should be done next
Standing in the kitchen, Xu Ran suddenly hesitated.
Last month, a new movie that he was more interested in came out, but he had been working overtime before and didn't have a chance to watch it. Maybe he can take advantage of He Cheng's weekend and ask him to go with him.
Will he say yes
Being rejected is probably normal. Xu Ran could easily imagine the scene where He Cheng said no, but he couldn't imagine the scene where he nodded in agreement. It's not very good for two big men to go to the cinema.
So, cleaning at home
Not to mention that he is a cripple who can't do the work of running around, but when did Young Master He clean up the house by himself? If I say it, I'm afraid I will be laughed at by those friends.
The soup in the pot was gurgling happily, like a light and soft tune, floating along the kitchen to the living room.
He Cheng shouted in the living room, "Come here."
Xu Ran heard the sound, and saw He Cheng looking at his suit on the tablet, looked up at him, and asked, "Are you 170?"
"175," Xu Ran corrected softly, "What's wrong?"
He Cheng changed the size requirements, and threw the tablet to him, "Choose a style."
Xu Ran looked at the tablet. The suit shop is He Cheng's favorite private custom shop. The owner of that shop specially set up a web page for him to choose styles online.
After a brief glance, Xu Ran returned the tablet, "I still have the old one, and I can still wear it, so don't waste the money."
Xu Ran knows how much He Cheng usually spends on making clothes. Even if you give him half of it, he is reluctant.
He Cheng frowned impatiently, "You can choose if you want, the old ones are so old, it's embarrassing to wear them out."
go out? Xu Ran sensitively grasped the most important two words, "Do you want me to...?"
"Number 8, Wang Li is getting married, you come with me."
Without any inquiry or foreshadowing, He Cheng's tone was as natural as telling him where to go to work. Xu Ran was stunned, he didn't expect him to say this.
"Me, go with you?"
He asked back uncertainly, seeing that He Cheng nodded without hesitation, his expression gradually changed from doubt to panic.
If it was another banquet, he would be happy before he was worried, because this is a rare event where He Cheng took the initiative to bring him together. But this is a banquet for high school classmates, and people from their circle and contacts will basically come.
Back in high school, there were not many who didn't know Qiao An, and there were not many who didn't know about the sports meeting, and they all knew about Xu Ran.
Will Joan go, for sure.
Joann's sprain from the fall from the steps healed a month after the accident, but he was going to be limping for the rest of his life.
Walking unsteadily, he had to hold on to the steps when going upstairs, and his knees would be cold and sore when it rained or snowed... These are the things left by his not-so-good high school career. He has been lame for ten years, and He Cheng has been admiring him for ten years.
Now He Cheng finally couldn't help it, and wanted to let everyone see his ugly face.
Among them, Joan was also included.
In front of He Cheng's white moonlight, Xu Ran would never be able to lift his head up. He Cheng knew this well, so he put some pressure on him to kneel lower.
Even if he is an underground lover, even if he has been with He Cheng for ten years, he is still an independent individual with his own dignity. He doesn't want to go.
But he had to go.